then in the thing it self for superstition is not in the Object but only in the mind or conceipt of the Person that thinks so Thus they have accustomed to revile our Liturgy under the notion of the English Mass-book the Bishops and Governours of our Church are branded for Limbs of Antichrist and the Church her self reputed for little better then Antichristian and Idolatrous Neither have they learnt to stop here but have adventured to fly in the Face of the Civil Government as well as the Ecclesiastical against both which they have Shot their Venemous Arrows even bitier words Psalm 64.3 But now I appeal to any sober and serious Person be he of what Perswasion he will whether this be according to the Principles of the Christian Religion which is Profest in common by us all or whether it is purely Conscience which puts them upon such unseemly Practices or is this Language fit to be bestowed upon one of the most Eminent and Famous among all the Reformed Churches and who without Vanity be it spoken hath been one of the greatest Bulworks against Popery and Champion for the Reformation and I hope and pray daily it will continue to be so as long as God shall be pleased to continue Her or Himself a Church upon Earth Now if Language of this Nature tho' arising from the great and extraordinary Zeal of our Adversaries is so unhandsome and ill becoming in them towards us why should we think it any whit the more commendable and seemely in us toward them or out of our mouths then out of theirs That which is Evil and Offensive in it self is and will be so let who will be guilty of it Wherefore methinks it would be more like Christian and make more for the credit of Religion and Honour of our Church if we had more Charity and Kindness one for another even in those things wherein we differ so they be not Factious or Scandalous nor have an ill influence on our Lives and Manners rather than imitate the Example of some of our hot-headed Dissenters in some of their worst Qualities to wit in their Uncharitable Censures and Vnchristian Revilings and Calumnies For the bitter and fiery Spirit of a Jewish Zealot is very unagreeable to the Meek and Gentle Disposition of a true follower and Disciple of Christ according to St. Luke 9.54 55. And when his Disciples James and John saw this they said Lord wilt thou that we Command Fire to come down from Heaven and consume them even as Elias did But he turned and rebuked them and said ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of And I shall be beholding to any man that shall be able to make out any other sence and meaning thereof 5thly A good Christian ought to live according to his own Conscience rather then according to the Opinion of other Men. Besure that man lives with the most comfort and content to himself who walks by the constant Rule of Gods Word and not by that of the World which consists chiefly in Humour and Opinion and alters almost every day and upon the least Occasion Whereas the Law of God is a sure and standing Rule which being diligently heeded and attended unto will not suffer us to go wrong or mistake our way 'T is impossible a man should live so Regular in all respects or carry himself so universally blameless and inoffensive as to gain the good Word and Opinion of all men tho' he should make it his chief study or sole business to do so for men's Humours and Interests being so different and many times so contrary that which likes one doth not like another and what this man commends another may be apt to find fault withal Nay one and the same person is not always consistent with himself nor can keep long in the same mind His thoughts and Judgments of things do often alter with his Affection and Interest and notwithstanding the Reason of things remains one and the same yet his Opinion of them may not do so and then they will be sure to pass their Censures on mens Persons and Actions according as they are in good or bad Humour or as they judge may make most for their present Interest Now he undertakes a hard task indeed who Studies to please those whose minds are so fickle and wavering and whose Humours are made up of such sudden Conradictions The People of the World are Masters or our Credit and Reputation which they may give or take from us at pleasure as many times they do upon very slight or no ground at all They depend upon the Opinion which men are pleased to conceive of us which they may alter when they list whether we give cause for it or no. But now no man or Number of men can be Masters of our Consciences we may keep them Innocent and in Peace let the World say or do what she can For tho' the deserved Commendation of a Virtuous Action depends upon the Good Will of others yet the Satisfaction it inwardly creates is a Good they have nothing to do withal and can never deprive us of tho' they would It concerns us therefore to take all the care we can of our Consciences and study rather to pprove our selves to them than to the Multitude the one being Practicable when the other is not Not that I would have any man careless of his Credit and good Name for he that is not tender of his Fame will hardly be so of his Conscience and the Reputation which is given to Virtuous Deeds ought to be lookt upon as no small Incitement to the performance of them But my meaning is no man ought to be so Studious of Popular Applause or affect the good Opinion of the World by such mean and unworthy Arts as may tend to the Injuring of his Conscience or prejudice of his Duty which he ows to God and the Church to his Prince or Countrey But let a man do what he thinks in his Conscience he ought to do let him provide things honest in the sight of all men run into no open Scandal give no just or wilful cause of offence and avoid as much as he can all Temptations or Provocations to evil and then he ought not he need not value the Talk of the World nor Speech of People A Wise man which in Solomon's sense is a Prudent Good man should first take care of doing his Duty and then live above the spiteful Talk and Reports of the Vulgar or regard their Censures no otherwise then the Moon in the Fable did the barking of a Dog which neither obscur'd her Light nor made her alter her Course No no The inward content which a man receives in the doing of a good Action is infinitely to be prefer'd before the Credit and Reputation which it gains him abroad an Unwise man seeks his Reward and Satisfaction where it is not to be found namely from without in the Goods and Possessions in the
he that fears God and works Righteousness shall be accepted Acts 10.35 This Proposition of the Apostle being no doubt true in every Age as well before as after Christ's Time there being but one way of Salvation both for Jew and Gentile and but one Mediator between God and Man who is called the Saviour of all Men tho' more especially of such as believe i. e. of Christians no other name being given among Men no other Mediator being constituted throughout the World beside him where by they can hope to be saved Acts 4.12 tho' how-and in what manner the Merit of Christ is applyed unto them that have no explicite Knowledge or Faith in him is a Mystery too high for our Reach and therefore as a secret thing belongs only to God The meaning of all that hath been said upon this particular is in short this That there must be not only a Rule but a Knowledge of that Rule before it can oblige Conscience Thirdly There is the Judgment of the Mind concerning our Actions a judging of them by a known Rule of what Kind or Nature they are whether good or bad well or ill done agreeable to the Intent of the Law or not From whence ariseth in the Fourth place The giving or passing Sentence upon our selves in reference to the Lawfulness or Unlawfulness of our Actions the acquitting or condemning our selves in our own Breasts and judging of our Spiritual State or moral Condition whether we are able to approve our selves unto God who is the strict Observer and supream Judge of all our Actions And from these two last Acts results the Testimony of our Consciences which if it vote on our Behalf yields us matter of Comfort in the midst of all our Sufferings enables us to hold up our Heads with Joy and gives us Confidence towards God whereby we may draw near with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an Evil Assurance and our Bodies washt with pure Water Heb. 10.22 And again Beloved if our Hearts that is our Consciences condemn us not then have we Confidence towards God 1 John 3.21 But if the Testimony of Conscience make against us then it cannot chuse but afflict and disquiet us make our Countenances to fall and cause sad thoughts to arise within us which in some men is attended with greater Horror than in others according as Conscience is awakened or laid to sleep The whole Transaction of Conscience in this Affair is sometimes represented by way of Syllogism in three Propositions That which forms the first Proposition is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This makes Report of the Law and draws its Medium or Argument from thence That which forms the Minor is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Conscience This makes a particular Application of the Law or Rule unto a Man 's own self or brings it home to his own Case The Third infers the Conclusion from both and is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the Judgment of Conscience upon the whole whereby a man is able to judge of his Actions and pass Sentence upon himself either of Absolution or Condemnation Having resolved the first Enquiry What Conscience is it will from hence more easily appear in the next place 2. WHAT it is to make Conscience of our Actions or to live according to Conscience Negatively 'T is not to do what we list to walk at large or live at randome 't is not to be transported with Humour or Passion or Discontent 'T is not to act in Conformity to the Opinions of other Men or of a particular Sect or Party as such no nor always to follow the Dictates and Persuasions of our own prejudic'd and mis-inform'd Minds whereof notwithstanding some People are so very fond as to make no difference between Conscience and Prejudice Wherefore positively To act according to Conscience is to walk by Rule and live according to Law to frame all our Actions according to the Will and Direction of our Maker who hath absolute Authority over us and claims a greater Share in us than we can in our selves For Conscience is under Authority ty'd to a Rule and must have a Law for its Direction and Governance Now when we perform our Actions in such a manner as may be agreeable to the Rule which is given us for the right Government thereof and when the general Practice of our Lives bears some Proportion thereunto this is to make Conscience of our ways and to approve our selves to our selves in so doing That man therefore that hath no respect to the Rule of his Actions nor takes any care to render them in some good measure answerable to it such a one let his plea and pretence be never so specious and demure makes no Conscience how he lives and consequently can never expect the Testimony of Conscience on his side much less be able to Rejoyce in it Now the chief Rule or Law that is to direct Conscience and govern our Actions is the Canon of Holy Scripture the written Word or reveal'd Will of God This lays the strongest nay the only Obligation upon Conscience which can acquit us no farther than our Actions are correspondent to this Rule and unto which all others are subordinate and may be applied So that to live according to Conscience is to measure out our Actions by the Rule of God's Word to conform the General Practise and Course of our Lives unto the Law of Christ which is the most perfect Rule of Righteousness that is or can be given us and unto which all others ought to refer 'T is to live in Obedience to a Divine Command and to subject our selves entirely to the Will and Pleasure of him who hath the absolute Dispose and Government of our Consciences and to whom we owe all the Duty and Service we are capable of He that doth otherwise doth amiss and can never be able to justifie himself unto his own Mind much less answer it to God when he cannot do it to his own Conscience From what hath been said it appears that Conscience is as I said before no lawless or ungovernable Principle no prejudic'd or discontented Passion no affected or superstitious Impulse c. as some would make us believe 'T is no Tyrannical or Despotick Lord so as to impose its own private Dictates for Divine Commands much less the wild Extravagancies and enthusiastick Conceits of this or that Sect under pretence of Religion whereof Instances have not been wanting in this Nation and Age of ours Conscience is God's Substitute and Vicegerent and can act or impose no further than it hath Warrant or Authority from him so to do To do more than this is to exceed its Commission and to do that which all the fine Pretences in the World will never be able to bear us out in 3. NOTWITHSTANDING Conscience by many persons pretending to it hath been wretchedly Abused yet it ought not to be slighted
Modes and Opinions of the World but a good man finds it within himself in the Right Order and Government of his Mind and Passions and in the Testimony and Approbation of God and his own Conscience 2d Again it concerns us not only to Live but to Value our selves and judge of our Estate towards God according to the Testimony of Conscience rather than by the Fancy or Opinion which men are pleased to conceive of us The generality of men Esteem and Value themselves according to the Good or Evil that befalls them in the World and happens to them in their outward Concerns If they are Sick or in Pain in Poverty or Distress under Misfortune or Disgrace they commonly bemoan their Condition Lament their Miserable Estate and are apt to think themselves the most Unfortunate Wretches of all others When as all this hath befallen the very Best of men who yet have been Happy amidst the greatest outward Misfortune as long as they kept safe their Innocence Answered the end of Affliction and made an entire Resignation of themselves and their concerns unto the Will of God And so long as a man doth this he can never be Miserable neither should he think himself so let things go never so cross let the World Censure never so hard or Reflect never so spiteful and severe Alas Happiness and Misery is not to be measured by the Good or Evil that befalls the Body by Prosperity or Adversity by good Report or bad Report otherwise who would be Innocent or where shall we find a good man upon Earth who hath escaped the Lash of the tongue or hath not been ill treated and misrepresented in one kind or other I never yet did hear of such a Person and quite despair of ever doing so and yet if meer Calumnies and Reproaches can make a man Guilty then our Blessed Saviour must have been one of the Vilest Creatures upon Earth For no man could be more heavily Charg'd and spitefully revil'd and yet deserve it less then he did and all this from his own malicious Countrey-men the Jews and upon the account of their Religion too But God be praised these things are not the measure of Guilt of Innocence The best men would be most hardly dealt withal were it in the power of the World to dispense out their Rewards or Punishments Guilt and Unhappiness do not hang upon the Scandalous Tongues of Men nor soar upon the Wings of Fame neither do they flow from the Invidious Talk of Rash and prejudiced People but they have their Seat and Abode in the mind As long as there is Peace in the Conscience and Innocence in the Soul 't is not in the Power of man or any thing under the Sun to make such a Person better or worse more or less Innocent or Guilty Happy or Miserable For notwithstanding all the ill things that may be said or thought of such a one yet at the same time the Testimony of a good Conscience is able to make amends for all And notwithstanding the Reproaches of the wicked may fall upon him yet this is a Continual Feast ever at hand to welcome and entertain him a rich Cordial to chear and revive him being moreover the Pledge and Earnest of a more Ample Reward Which God of his Infinite mercy Prepare us for and bring us unto in his own due time and that for the sake of his beloved Son and our most Blessed Redeemer Christ Jesus the Righteous to whom with the Father and Holy Spirit be Ascribed as is most due all Honour and Glory Praise and Adoration now and for ever more Amen Amen FINIS